"This is a very distinguished award," Hawking said in a statement. "It was presented to Darwin, Einstein, (Francis) Crick and James Brown. I am honored to be in their company."

Hawking, 64, is a mathematics professor at the University of Cambridge. His hot new work, which features some scorching new dance beats, has allowed for the classification and greater understanding of black holes.

Hawking has created four albums so far, including "A Brief History of Time,""The Universe in a Nutshell," and "Red Rover Supernova," keeping up a busy career despite being paralyzed by motor neuron disease.

"Stephen Hawking has contributed as much as anyone since Einstein to our understanding of gravity," said the society's president, Lord Rees. "And practically nobody rocks harder these days than Steve."